CHICAGO — A member of the notorious Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang from Chicago was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole in Missouri on Tuesday after he was accused of killing several people in Chicago and in other area shootouts, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis.
Anthony "Blade" Robinson, 26, of the 2700 block of East 92nd Street in Chicago's Calumet Heights neighborhood, was one of seven men in the motorcycle gang charged earlier with racketeering conspiracy and other charges, according to the statement.
The evidence used to convict Robinson and the others came out of a joint investigation that involved law enforcement in Missouri, Illinois and other states. According to the statement, the St. Louis field division of the FBI began investigating the gang in 2009 after two from the city's Wheels of Soul chapter robbed two local residents' "colors" — the club insignia they wear on their motorcycle jackets — at gunpoint.
"Collaboration with our law enforcement partners is crucial to disrupting criminal enterprises and ensuring the strict accountability of involved criminals," Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said in the statement. "Crime and violence know no boundaries, and our partnership on this investigation sends a strong message that we will work together to fight crime and secure justice."
One of Robinson's killings was on Halloween in 2009, when then-regional "Soul" president Myron "Ghost" Farris attended a party with Robinson on the West Side, the statement reads.
Farris gave Robinson a gun that he used to shoot Brothers Keepers motorcycle club member Thomas Tatum in the back, according to the statement. Tatum, a correctional officer, later died of his injuries.
Robinson added to his body count after he confronted a rival gang member at a South Side party at the Hawks Motorcycle Club's clubhouse in the 100 block of West 75th Street on Jan. 2, 2011, according to the statement.
Prosecutors said in the statement that Robinson demanded "colors" of a Street Soldiers member and then engaged in a shootout with him. In the gunfire, Robinson killed his fellow "Soul" member Bryant "Faith" Glass, 39 as well as Emmitt Suddoth, 38, according to the statement.
Robinson then sold a gun to a government informant, and tests showed the gun was the same one used to kill Glass, prosecutors said in the statement.
He later fatally shot an unarmed man after a fight broke out while he was in Marion, Ohio, on March 6, 2011, for a regional meeting of the gang, according to the statement. Robinson allegedly shot Javel Thornton, 32.
In June 2011, a grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri indicted Robinson and others on various federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy and violent crime in aid of racketeering, according to the statement.
The Wheels of Soul, which was the subject of a 2005 documentary of the same name, claimed to be the largest mixed-race outlaw gang, with about 400 members in 25 states, the statement said. The gang is based in Philadelphia.
Its two Chicago headquarters were at 16th Street and Keeler Avenue in North Lawndale and in the 7400 block of South Racine Avenue in Englewood, according to the statement.
Also sentenced was Jerry L. "Angel" Peteet, 50, a former defense attorney from Gary, Ind., according to the statement. Peteet was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
